Controversies over government’s decision to sole-source over 80 road projects under the ‘Big Push’ Programme and the possibility of cost inflation continues to deepen as more information pop up.
Information provided by the Ministry of Roads and Highways to the Fourth Estate reveal that out of the 107 contracts awarded between August 2025 and February 2026, as many as 81 were sole-sourced and not a single of them was subjected to competitive tendering, which the National Democratic Congress (NDC) promised Ghanaians while in opposition.
Well-meaning Ghanaians are beginning to punch holes in the decision to sole-source over 70% of the road projects awarded so far, as that decision sharply contradicts the virtues preached by officials of this government when they were in opposition just a little over a year ago.
The Fourth Estate reported last week that out of the over GH¢80 billion contracts awarded, data from the Ministry of Roads and Highways show that a staggering more than GH¢73 billion were sole-sourced contracts.
More bizarre is the revelation that some of the companies that were awarded these multi-million contracts were established in January 2025.
For instance, the Dodo Pepesu to Nkwanta road which was commissioned in 2016 has now been awarded for a rehabilitation at a whopping cost of GH¢804 million, which is almost three times the €25.9 million cost of constructing the road.
Interestingly, the Commitment Authorisation figure for the project is GH¢854 million, while the contract is awarded at GH¢804 million, a staggering difference of over GH¢120 million.
This project has been awarded to a company that was incorporated in January 2025, a company that has no demonstrable capacity or track record to be awarded a A1B1 certification to execute a contract of this nature.
As if the date of the establishment was not enough to raise eyebrows, documents released by the Ministry of Roads and Highways, including clearance certificates, indicate that some of the companies awarded these multi-million contracts had just one employee and another having just four.
NDC Criticisms
The NDC, while in opposition, criticised the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) government for engaging in sole-sourcing for government projects.
President John Mahama, speaking at the National Economic Dialogue, had pointed out that “single-source procurement must be the rare exception and not the norm,” adding that “…bleeding government, everybody cutting their pound of flesh, that must stop.”
The President is also on record saying government had gone through “very rigorous procedure to choose the contractors who would work on the Big Push Projects.”
Contradictions
One, however, fails to see the rare exception in awarding over GH¢73 billion worth of contracts through sole-sourcing, especially when some of the companies receiving these colossal sums have no track record in road construction.
The current Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, is also on record to have criticised the sole-sourcing phenomenon, claiming that the reason Ghana is unable to build more roads is because of sole-sourcing, which tends to inflate the cost of contracts.Ghanaian World Cup
One would, therefore, expect that this government would treat sole-sourcing with the same contempt they did when they were in opposition.
While officials of government are making strenuous efforts to discredit the massive betrayal of the trust of their supporters and the nation at large, data provided by the Ministry of Roads and Highways paint a rather glaring picture of the hypocrisy in the criticisms and the actions being taken today.
The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah, appearing on News File on JoyNews, provided more information into some of the contracts awarded under the ‘Big Push’ Project and how any political party which heavily campaigned on value for money governance should not be involved in.
Projects Lotting
One of the key issues raised by Braimah was the “urgency” excuse used by the sector minister in awarding the contracts and the decision to divide some of the projects into smaller projects and given to various contractors in order to ensure efficiency and timely construction of the projects.
However, it turned out that in some cases, and specifically the 45-kilometre Kumasi Outer Ring project, it was divided into three different lots and awarded to the same contractor.
What this means is that government would end up paying more for these three lots than it would have paid for a single contract.
Another project is the dualisation of the Winneba-Cape Coast road, which has been lotted into three sub projects and awarded to the same contractor.
Cost Per Kilometre
Another major concern raised by Sulemana Braimah was the cost per kilometre of the contracts awarded under the ‘Big Push’ projects.
For instance, the Winneba-Cape Coast Dualisation Lot 3 project which is supposed to have an interchange at the Winneba roundabout, there is a 25-kilometre lot that was awarded separately at the cost of GH¢3.68 billion – GH¢154 million per kilometre.
Another is the Ho-Kpetoe road which is being constructed at a cost of GH¢49 million per kilometre.
Even roads that have been classified as ‘surface dressing’ are being done at a cost of over GH¢10 million per kilometre.
Denial
Meanwhile, Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has denied claims that some of the companies contracted for the ‘Big Push’ projects have as little as one and four employees.
He also denied claims that the Dodo Pepesu rehabilitation project has been awarded at GH¢120 million more than the actual price, adding the contract sum remains GH¢683,902,957.69.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak
Tags: general news, Kwame Governs Agbodza, Ministry of Roads and Highways, Road Contracts
